Not Place, but Principles
AMONG the myriads of worlds, doubtless, created of God, this planet revolted. Here the arch-enemy of righteousness — Satan — has put forth his mightiest efforts against God and His government. In this planet, therefore, God takes a peculiar interest. To this planet He gave His law with audible voice and engraved it upon tables of stone. To this planet of the myriads He sent His only begotten Son, the Anointed of the Father. To this world is He coming again to lift forever the curse of sin and bring harmony into the universe. “Preposterous, incredible, unreasonable,” skeptics sometimes tell us, “that God should thus honor this mere speck in His universe.” Yet why should it be so considered? If the problem of sin must be worked out in God’s infinite realms, why not here? Read of the great decisive battles of this world. How few of them occurred in places at all prominent. Since the decisive conflict, the place of battle became famous. Before the onset of opposing forces the place may even have been nameless. What was Arbela before Alexander the Macedonian and Darius the Persian measured forces for the empire of the world? What was Waterloo before Wellington defeated the great Napoleon there? Utterly insignificant of themselves were these places, but the questions there decided were momentous. World-empire was involved, and great principles were in the balance. What does it matter to a ruler as to what place the enemy enters his dominion? It may be at a small hamlet in his outmost borders, but the problem is based on the same principles as tho his very capital had been entered. The problem of dominion, of right to rule, of strength of forces, of the government of the people, is the same in any parts of realm, and all his forces will be centered upon that spot till the question of supremacy is there settled. So it is with this little earth. Here is waged the warfare between eternal Right and usurping Wrong; between everlasting Law and Life, and Perverted Law and Death; between Infinite Love and Selfishness. But in these principles are involved the dominion and existence of the universe. Thank God, every battle fought has given assurance of final and complete victory. Jesus Christ is our Captain, and He is ever victorious.